Zack the Puppy
by ohsnapples
Summary: Short stories about a puppy that changes Cloud and Tifa's life. Ch. 7: Is it just a coincidence?
1. He's Late

_(A/N) This is going to be short drabbles of stories about Cloud and Tifa and how they got a dog that looks and acts like Zack. These aren't going to be long at all so don't be too disappointed :D And I'm not stopping __**This Changes Everything**__ this is just something I decided to cook up for the Christmas season :)_

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_**Zack the Puppy**_**- 1) He's Late.**

It was very busy at the Seventh Heaven, probably because it was a Friday. The tables were a mess from the rowdy customers, which were mostly men. Most of the men that came to the bar were because they were really lonely or really horny. The men that wanted to glance at the pretty barmaid had a sliver of hope that she would be easy. If only they knew the truth. But the other people that didn't go in for her, like the women and their men, was because it was the most popular bar in Edge.

A dim light bulb was the only thing that brought light in the empty bar. The Barmaid was cleaning the last of the tables from any food or drinks that were spilled on it during the day. After each table she cleaned, she would lift up the chairs on top of it so she could sweep the ground beneath it. It was very quiet and the only noise in the room was her own footsteps and the brush of the broom. But her back stiffened when she felt that she hit something with the broom under the table.

Ever since Tifa was a child, she was afraid that a stranger would come in her house when she was all alone. That fear has yet to go away. She thought that it was foolish though because she mastered martial arts, had to travel the world to fight a madman, and have the world almost destroyed by a chunk of rock. So why was she afraid of one stranger breaking into her bar?

Tifa carefully leaned the broom up against the wall before slowly bending down to inspect what was underneath. She almost jumped out of her skin when she actually found a person there. He looked to be passed out, but the odd thing was that he was naked.

The thing is, Tifa never lets someone run around naked, especially in her own bar. So how did this happen? She always kept her eyes on customers to make sure that this did not happen. But it looks like this fool was going to be the first.

"Hey, you!" Tifa trued to call to the man, but his eyes did not open. A groan escaped from the man's throat and he buried his face underneath his arm. Tifa grabbed him by the arm and jerked him from underneath the table. That's when his eyes snapped open.

"Hey!" he yelled in protest from the sudden movement. He rubbed his head most likely from the splitting headache then looked around.

"It's probably time for you to go home now," Tifa said and then the man realized that he didn't have any clothes on. He looked around the bar and saw that his clothes were missing.

"Uh, where are my clothes?" the man asked, not even embarrassed for not being dressed in front of Tifa.

"I have no idea, now get out," She said and picked up the broom from its resting place on the wall.

"But I can't go outside! It's below freezing out there!" The man said dramatically.

"That's not my problem, you shouldn't take your clothes off if you don't want to be cold." Tifa said trying to keep her eyes on his face.

"Well if you didn't know, lady, that there's a law that you can't go outside naked." The man said smartly.

"And if you didn't know, buster, there's a law against being naked being in a public establishment." Tifa replied and dropped the broom so that she could cross her arms across her chest.

"That's not true, what about a strip club?" he smiled smugly and Tifa had the urge to punch him across the face.

Tifa sighed in annoyance before going behind the bar and grabbing a towel and tossing it at the man.

"Thank you kindly." He said with a smile and walked out of the bar.

'_I need Cloud, he's late again' _Tifa thought as she went back to her cleaning. After the Geostigma incident, more and more people started to come because they wanted to celebrate the cured epidemic. Then after the Deepground incident, when the lifestream was restored, people started to enjoy life again. Needless to say, The Seventh Heaven started to get very busy. And to top it off, it was Christmas season so Cloud had a lot more deliveries and got home really late. And Tifa's customers started to get more confident /reckless.

Tifa sighed. She knew that she could take on any of the dumbasses that tried to put a move on her. One time one man just kept coming back until she had to actually _throw_ him through the wall. When Cloud saw the gaping hole on the side of the building, he had a lot of questions. But he still isn't aware that guys are flirting with her.

She sighed again as she scrubbed leftover food on a table. It's very hard to manage a bar by herself, but she can't hire anybody else because the budget is close enough to the belt as it is. It may be the most popular bar in edge but it was only that way because they offered high quality drinks and meals for cheap prices. They want to have some luxuries sometimes. Plus they have to save up any extra cash to by nice gifts for the kids. And she wanted to get something nice for Cloud. They started dating a few months after the Geostigma epidemic, Tifa let a smile creep across her face as a memory consumed her

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_It was a cold winter day and Cloud and Tifa were walking down the street towards the bar. It was winter vacation for the kids and they were presently at Barret's so Marlene could spend some time with her adopted father. Denzel was with her because he didn't like to be all alone with the adults. The kids had a whole month from school for winter vacation. Naturally the kids were very excited to having a month off._

_It was very chilly in that winter morning and snowflakes were slowly falling around them. Tifa forced Cloud to take a walk with her so she could enjoy the beautiful winter day. Earlier when Tifa suggested it Cloud was in the middle of watching some mechanic program, and was probably picking up some ways to improve his precious motorcycle, Fenrir, he grumbled a fine then got up. Cloud would do anything for Tifa. _

_He was walking next to her wearing a navy blue heavy jacket with a pair of dark trousers and black cotton gloves. During the winter, instead of his leather gloves, he wore cotton ones. Tifa was wearing a white jacket, a pair of jeans and a pink scarf. Her arms were crossed over her chest while Cloud hands were buried deep in his jacket pockets. _

_Even though Cloud was wearing heavy layers he was shivering slightly and his cheeks were flushed from the cold. The weather was one of his weaknesses, he never dressed appropriately for it, like now he wasn't wearing anything to keep his neck and up warm. Tifa saw this and grabbed his hand so he would stop. He turned to her confusingly and said, "We're almost back, let's keep going."_

_In response, Tifa tugged on his hand, demanding him to stop. He tilted his head to the side as she pulled off one side of her scarf and tugged him closer. She wrapped one of the sides of the scarf around his neck and brought it back so it was around her neck. So now they were standing very close to each other, both wrapped in her pink scarf. Cloud's arms slowly wrapped loosely around her slim waist and he was glad for the heat that the scarf gave and Tifa's body heat._

"_You want to go back yet?" she asked teasingly and Cloud flushed, but not because of the cold. He shook his head slightly and brought his freezing forehead to hers and then she started to flush. A small smile was blooming across her face and she looked up at him to see that his eyes were closed, but there was a small smile on his face. The small delicate snowflakes were landing on their shoulders and Cloud opened his eyes lazily. He kept one arm around her waist but brought the other one up so he could cup her incredibly pink cheek. He bent his head forward slightly and he planted his lips on hers. She found his lips to be unimaginably soft and warm despite the cold atmosphere. Her arms slip up his chest and went to the nape of his neck where she played with the hair there. _

_When they pulled apart their breaths mingled before they both smiled in understanding. They walked home with their fingers linked and the scarf in Cloud's hand._

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Tifa was pulled out her memory when Cloud opened the door with a bundle under his arm and he locked the door behind him. He turned to Tifa with a look of slight apprehension.

"Cloud?" Tifa questioned slightly and Cloud bowed his head a little.

"Don't be angry," Were his first words. Uh oh.

"What is it?" She asked with a little concern.

"I know we never talked about it, but I got something." Cloud unwrapped the blanket slowly and a little black dog's head poked out. It barked happily in a very puppy way and for some reason it had a little bang that poked out and a small white spot on its chest. It had an X shaped scar on his cheek that made Tifa think that Cloud got that puppy from an abusive home. And this little puppy reminded her of a certain deceased SOLDIER…

"His name is Zack the puppy," Cloud stated and the dog looked up at Cloud then looked back at Tifa with glowing blue eyes and his tongue lapped out of his mouth a huge dog smile on his face.

Tifa dropped the rag she was holding and it fell to the floor with a small plop. She quickly rushed over to the puppy, a large smile on her face. She brought her hands up and placed them on the puppy's cheek, and Zack shook his head free from her hands but that same dog smile stayed on his face.

"Cloud, He's adorable!" She gushed. Then she placed a ton of kisses on the dogs face. Zack grunted but it seemed like he didn't mind.

Cloud watched with a small smile. He was really glad Tifa didn't throw a fit, like he was afraid she would. He knew that they were having some troubles with money so he took it upon him self to take on some more deliveries, and he knew that the dog wouldn't really help them financially. But when he walked past that animal shelter and saw that happy looking dog in the window that looked suspiciously like Zack he knew he had to get him.

"So, you like him?" Cloud asked, uncertain.

Tifa looked up at him. She was absolutely glowing; Cloud was slightly breathless for a second. "Of course!"

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_(A/N) So what do you think? Love it? Hate it? Let me know :D_

_And I got the flashback from a picture I saw once, incase you are wondering :) _


	2. Interrupted

_(A/N) I'm going to post these as quick as I can because I want to get this drabble series over and done with by the time Christmas rolls around. Well, it's short but I like it and I thought the concept was really cute and funny at the same time. I've got more cute and funny things in store. I'll try to update twice a week so keep looking for new updates :D_

_Disclaimer: None of the characters or locations belongs to me. _

_**Zack the Puppy**_** – 2) Interrupted.**

Cloud and Tifa soon realized that Zack had a lot of energy. He just kept running around and barking at everything that he saw. But it wasn't really a bark; it was more like a yip. Almost every single minute of the day, they would hear Zack yipping at absolutely nothing.

Sometimes after the bar was closed, Tifa let him explore it. He would run across the wet floor and then he would slide on his stomach. Then he would crash into either a chair or a wall and then would yip happily then repeat the process. Tifa was thankful that he didn't destroy anything yet. And she didn't stop him from his little game either because she just wanted him to get it out of his system.

The bar was becoming busier every day. And having the dog that Tifa had to check up on every half hour didn't help. But she felt it was worth it because she's always wanted a dog when she was a kid but her papa was allergic. And after she moved to Midgar she knew it wasn't the right time to have such a responsibility.

But now that they had Zack they needed to pay for shots and all the necessities. And since Christmas was coming up the new expenses were taking away from their present money. But the way the children were around him was enough to keep Tifa satisfied.

The children, of course, loved him. When Cloud first brought the puppy to the sleeping kids up the stairs Marlene screamed so loudly that Cloud had to cover his ears. Denzel didn't scream like his adopted sister, but he rushed over to Zack and called to hold him first. Cloud and Tifa both knew that he wouldn't be a problem with kids because of the way his tail was wagging and the way his tongue would run over Denzel's face.

Their little happy meeting was interrupted by a loud knock on the bar door. Cloud and Tifa looked at each other questioningly before telling the kids to stay in their room with the puppy and walked down the stairs. When they opened the door, they saw that it was the police. They got a concerned call from a neighbor saying they heard screaming coming from the bar. Apparently the neighbors were very skeptical of Cloud's large swords and thought that he finally went insane and butchered his adorable family. Hence the screaming.

Cloud and Tifa explained that nobody was butchered and they got a dog that made the kids scream in excitement. The policemen looked doubtful and were about to ask to confirm their statement with evidence when the kids came down the stairs. Marlene was holding Zack in her arms and Denzel was walking in front of her. The policemen noticed this too and gave them an apology about bothering them and walking back to their car. Cloud was still a little embarrassed about what happened that night. But Tifa, on the other hand, had to cover her mouth to stop her giggles when thinking that Cloud would go insane and chop them up into little pieces. Zack just watched the whole display, panting happily.

And when Cloud got home from his deliveries Zack would follow him nonstop. In the middle of the night when Cloud would get a snack he would get scared shitless when Zack would somehow fly into the center of his back. Tifa would sometimes watch this and would start die laughing when she saw the dog fly out of nowhere and hit Cloud with killer aim, usually that causes Cloud to jump and spit out a very naughty swear word. This happened every time and Cloud still has yet to learn.

During the workday when customers were at the bar Zack would stay confined upstairs so he wouldn't disrupt the customers. But sometimes people would hear something scuffing across the floor upstairs and then something crash. They would then faintly hear some yipping and then more scuffing. Tifa would then excuse herself then run up the stairs to see that Zack knocked over a picture when he crashed into the wall. And he was nowhere in sight.

So now Cloud and Tifa were getting ready to go to bed after a very long day of Zack destroying everything he touched. Thankfully Tifa and Cloud were smart enough to leave their bedroom door closed so everything was intact. Cloud was in their bathroom that was connected to the room, taking a shower while Tifa was rubbing lotion on her pale legs. She was wearing a pair of shorts with a back tank top and her hair falling loosely over her shoulders.

When Cloud came out he was only wearing a pair of blue plaid trousers and rubbing a yellow towel through his golden spikes. When he saw Tifa smile seductively at him he gave her a seductive smirk of his own and dropped the towel. He walked towards the bed and leaned over Tifa. She leaned back so her back touched the bed and he crawled over her. His hands were on the bed on either sides of Tifa's body and he hovered over her. It was a long day and it's been a while since they've been alone. Usually when they were alone they would be too tired to talk, let alone sexual activities.

Cloud leaned down to kiss her slowly and she buried her fingers in his damp spikes, trying to bring him closer. Tifa lifted her foot up and ran it along his calf causing Cloud to shift slightly and drag his hand up her thigh and start to go under her shirt when…

_Scratch. Scratch. Scratch. _Followed by a high pitch yipping noise.

Cloud tore his lips away from hers and buried his face in her neck. "So_ unfair,_" he muttered in her neck. Tifa rubbed the back of his neck soothingly.

"Maybe we should open the door. He might be scared." Tifa said as she started to disengage herself from him. Then they heard happy yipping and Cloud raised an eyebrow. "We should let him in anyway."

Cloud sighed and stood up, dejected. He opened the door and Zack came bouncing in and jumped on their bed. He sat on Tifa's lap and she started to brush his one bang back, but it sprung back in place, like a pig's tail. Zack looked up at Cloud with a rather smug look and Cloud tried to bite back a growl. Zack's tail was wagging a mile a minute and he got in a more comfy position on Tifa's lap. He yawned loudly and brought his head down to rest on her legs.

"That damn dog," Cloud muttered and sat back on the bed.

"Cloud, he's just a puppy, they need attention." Tifa said as she scrubbed underneath his ear which Zack answered with a happy kick.

"What about me? I need attention too." Clout pouted.

"Aww poor baby Cloud." Tifa teased and he smiled and leaned over to kiss her. But he was interrupted yet again by Zack giving off a little whimper. Tifa just laughed and covered Zack's eyes so Cloud could give her a kiss goodnight.

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_So what do you think? I thought it was rather adorable. If you could review that would be awesome. _


	3. Getting Some

_(A/N) Okay, these are going to be posted ever Thursday and Sunday so now I don't think they'll be anymore spontaneous updates :D_

_and I forgot to say thanks to those who reviewed for the past couple chapters! I want to thank: _**thesakuraclow, vLuna, natcat5, lady-yuna7, TornAngelWings, Heaven's Assassin, LadyTeefStrife, spacegal 19, **_and _**FallenFeathers~BrokenHearts **

**_Disclaimer: None of the characters or places belong to me, no matter how much I wish they did_**

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**_Zack the Puppy_ - 3) Getting Some.  
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"Damn it Zack! Stay still!" Tifa snapped at the dog. His response was to try to jump out of the tub and she caught him in midair, making her already soap sudded shirt more soapy.

It was Tifa's day off from the bar and there were only a few weeks until Christmas. Zack decided that today was the day that he would jump _in_ the fish market's crate of rotten fish while they were out on his walk. Zack yipped happily as Tifa had to actually dig her hands in the spoiled fish and dig the dumbass dog out before he got sick. And of course Cloud was with her, but refused to help. He claimed that he didn't want to go through the alley way because he _knew _something like this would happen. The kids were also with them, but in order to save their innocence of never having to experience something like that, Tifa had to sacrifice herself.

Tifa plopped Zack back in the tub and he whined loudly and looked at her with hurt in his eyes. "You're such a faker," Tifa told Zack and he started to pant happily. Was this dog ever doing something not happily?

She started to put more soap on the puppy and he proceeded to shake and it caused the water and bubbles fly everywhere. Tifa attempted to cover herself with her arms from the sudden assault and she could hear a low chuckle come from behind her. She snapped her head around and saw Cloud leaning against the doorway, holding a bottle of beer that he most likely stole from the bar.

"You're really not going to help?" Tifa asked, trying to look very pathetic so he would help her.

"Nope." he said and chuckled again before taking a long pull of the beer. Tifa stood up and swiped the half empty bottle away from him before chugging the rest of it. When she downed it she put the now empty bottle in his hand and wiped her mouth with her forearm.

"Thanks, that was refreshing." She smirked and kneeled down next to the tub and continued to scrub the puppy. Cloud just stared at her shockingly with his mouth agape. "OK Zack, I promise if you stay still for 5 minutes, then I'll give you a treat." she bribed. Zack's tail started to wag quickly and he was nearly shaking with excitement. Cloud scoffed from behind her.

"You're bribing him?" Cloud said as he put the beer bottle in the recycling bin. He crossed his arms over his chest and Tifa turned her head slightly in his direction so she could peek at him with one eye.

"And if you don't shut the hell up then you're not getting any tonight." Tifa said, irritated. Cloud then did what he was told.

"Get any what, Tifa?" they heard Marlene ask. Tifa quickly turned around and saw the children watching their little scene. Tifa quickly flushed and saw that Cloud was trying to contain his laughter. She sent a glare at him before looking at the kids, fumbling to come up with an answer.

"Uh he… he won't get any dinner!" Tifa smiled as she came up with the answer. Marlene and Denzel looked at each other, confusingly.

"But when that guy said that you threw him through the wall." Denzel stated and Cloud instantly stopped snickering.

"Said what?" Cloud asked the children.

"Nothing, he said noth…" Tifa tried to explain but was cut off.

"He said that he wanted to give Tifa some." Marlene said and Tifa cringed, knowing what was going to happen.

"Why don't you kids do your homework and after we'll have dinner." Cloud tried to say calmly, but there was a little anger in his voice. The kids knew not to argue with him and they scrambled to their room. "Why didn't you tell me?" Cloud's voice was soft, but stern.

"Because I already took care of it," Tifa explained and dried Zack off with a large black towel. She rubbed his head and he was panting happily and his tongue hanging out of his mouth. "I didn't want you to get involved with something that wasn't a problem anymore."

"But I could've done something! I should've been there to take care of you!"

"It's not your fault Cloud! I knew what I was getting myself into when I started a bar, especially after Midgar was destroyed." Tifa said and stopped drying Zack and he looked up her confusingly. Where's his treat? Tifa knew what he was asking so she grabbed the box on the sink and pulled out a dog biscuit. She tossed it to him and he caught it and skipped away. Since Tifa didn't really dry off his paws he slipped in the hallway and they could hear him yipping.

Cloud looked down and muttered, "I want to be there to protect you, Tifa." She was about to open her mouth but he cut off her protest. "I know that you can protect yourself, but if something happened to you, I don't know what I'd do. I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

Suddenly Tifa knew where this was going because Cloud kneeled down on the wet floor and pulled a black box out of his pocket. "I was going to ask you on Christmas Eve, but I can't wait any more. Tifa will you marry me?" he opened the box and Tifa felt the urge to pass out.

Was he really proposing to her in a bathroom, on a wet floor? But she found the whole thing to be incredibly sweet and a smile lit up her face. She nodded and Cloud stood up and crushed her in an embrace. Even though he didn't "shut the hell up" he knew that he was getting some tonight.

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_Review please!_


	4. Is it Over?

_(A/N)It's up on Sunday just like I promised. I remember a scene from the game when they were in the red submarine and Cloud was getting claustrophobic so I thought maybe I should have some of that in here :D and it seemed like everyone loved a jealous Cloud so I threw something in there that you all might like. _

_I want to thank: _**thesakuraclow****, ****lady-yuna7****, ****PeAceLovEr 12****, **_and_** LadyTeefStrife **_for reviewing. It really makes my heart warm when I see there's a new review.

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_**Zack the Puppy**_** – 4) Is it over?**

Cloud hated small rooms. He blamed it mostly with the time he spent in Hojo's lab. He spent four years in a mako tank that was much too small to be comfortable. This was probably worse than the tank. It was a Vet's office. The white walls felt like it was closing all around him and he could've sworn that the room was fifty degrees warmer than it was in the waiting room. He looked over towards Zack and saw that he was sitting happily on the table with his tail wagging and Cloud could've sworn that he had a smile on his face. Aren't animals supposed to be afraid of the Vet? He could feel himself suffocating and he was about to stand up to try to get some air when he felt somebody grabbed his hand next to him. He saw Tifa looking at him worriedly and her hand that was holding his was the one with his engagement ring on it.

"Here." She gave him a water bottle that she brought with her and Cloud took it graciously. After he gulped down the entire thing he felt less warm and the walls stayed where they were.

"Thanks." Cloud muttered, a little embarrassed that Tifa knew what was going on. She smiled and squeezed his hand before letting it go and going back to her magazine.

A man came in the room; Cloud assumed it was the Vet, holding a folder.

"Hello Mr. Strife and Ms. Lockhart, we're here to check out Zack, aren't we?" He says.

"Yes and we're hoping that we can get him a rabies shot." Cloud says and Zack snaps his head towards him. He looks at him with a mixture of confusion, hurt and betrayal. The doctor pulled out a needle and Zack tried to scramble away but the Vet was quick and caught him before he jumped off the table.

"You might want to hold him." The doctor said and Tifa stood up and took Zack in her arms. He was whimpering and shutting his eyes tightly, waiting for the excruciating pain. But then Tifa put him back on the table and the doctor was putting the now empty syringe on the table. It was over?

"You're such a big baby." Tifa teased affectionately and scratched behind his ear.

He yipped happily.

"Well he looks strong and healthy, so continue what you're doing and he'll have a long and happy life."

"Thank you, doctor." Cloud says and stands up. He puts a hand on Tifa's back to guide her out of the room. She's holding Zack in her arms and cuddling him to her chest.

Cloud and Tifa walked up to the receptionist's desk and waited to make a next appointment. Cloud notice that the man was glancing over at something behind him and he peeked to see what it was. It was Tifa playing with Zack's ears and Zack panting happily. Cloud looked back at the receptionist and saw that the man had a seductive look on his face.

Cloud glared at the man and was thankful that Tifa was too focused on Zack's ears to see the perverted receptionist. Even as they confirmed their next appointment and was leaving the Vet's office, the man was still looking at Tifa. She seemed to notice Cloud's sour mood and commented on it.

"If I knew that you didn't like the Vet _that _much, I would've went by myself." Tifa said as Zack stopped to pee on a pole. Since they lived rather close to the office, they walked. Plus they couldn't take Fenrir and Barrett has the other car.

"No!" Cloud quickly yelled and Zack stopped mid-pee. Tifa abruptly stopped and towards to him in shock. Cloud flushed when he realized that he said it a little too loudly and he stuffed his tightly clenched fists in his coat pocket before he forced his feet to drag forwards.

"What's the matter?" Tifa asked as she and Zack caught up to him. Cloud kept his head bowed down and she forced him to look up at her when she placed a hand on his shoulder. "Tell me, Cloud."

"Did you see the receptionist at the office?" Cloud mumbled so softly that Tifa could barely hear him.

"Barely, why?"

Cloud just flushed more as he felt more foolish.

"Oh, I get it." Tifa said with realization. Cloud's head snapped up when he heard her. "You wanted to read the magazine he was reading, didn't you?"

"What? Oh, y-yeah," Cloud said as he rubbed the back of his head. "How did you know?"

"I think I have a gift of reading people," Tifa said as she walked past Cloud, Zack yipping happily behind her. Cloud just shook his head and followed her home.

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_A jealous Cloud makes writers and readers happy :D_

_What do you guys think? Love jealous Cloud? Hate jealous Cloud? REVIEW!_


	5. Surprises Under the Bed

_(A/N) So I think I've been doing pretty well on getting the chapters up on time, wouldn't you agree? the sad part is that theres only two chapters left :( so one will be posted on Sunday and the last one will be on Christmas Eve :D Anyway, I suddenly got an image of Tifa finding something under the bed that would get Cloud in trouble..._

_And a big thanks to _**babyviolin, LadyTeefStrife, lady-yuna7, celticskyedancer, vLuna,**_ and_** -siMpLe-reActiON- **_for reviewing. You guys are awesome! :)_

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**_Zack the Puppy_- 5) Surprises Under the Bed.**

As Tifa was downstairs making dinner she heard a crash. She already knew what the cause was, but what made her freeze was the noise wasn't in a familiar location. It sounded… further away. But that couldn't be, hers and Clouds bedroom was down there. And they always kept it barricaded. Then Tifa remembered something that occurred earlier.

"_Hey, Tifa?" Marlene asked as Denzel stomped up the stairs. _

"_Yes, Marlene?" Tifa smiled down at the seven year old. _

"_Can I borrow one of your necklaces? I'm going out with some friends tonight." Marlene gave Tifa the big doe eyed look that she could never resist. _

"_I guess that's okay," Tifa sighed. "Where are you going?"  
_

"_We're just going to go to the movies." she said, retreating._

"_Is Denzel going with you?" Usually when the ten year old boy goes with Marlene Tifa feels a lot better. _

"_He doesn't have to go everywhere with me and my friends." Marlene mumbled as she ran up the stairs. _

_That comment made Tifa frown. What was up with them two? She made a note to ask Denzel at dinner. _

Marlene might have left her bedroom door open! Tifa ran upstairs in a few seconds flat. She heard more crashing, and saw that her bedroom door was, in fact, open. Tifa entered a disaster area. Stuff was knocked over, the pillows were torn open, even the lamp was broken.

Tifa looked around in fury, trying to find the culprit. When she heard a small grunting noise under the bed she dropped on her knees. When she grabbed the puppy's tail he let out a surprised yelp. As she dragged him out she could tell that he was trying to put up a fight. The moment she looked at him she knew he had something in his mouth.

Tifa grabbed at it but it wasn't that easy for Zack to hand over. About a minute of playing tug of war with him she finally won and Zack scattered out of the room, bumping against the wall as he did so. She had to release her grip at a few points so they wouldn't rip it. She looked at the cover and her eyes went impossibly large.

It was p…p-porn.

Was it Clouds? Did he read it and uh… release his loaded gun? The thought that Cloud needed _this_ to do it made Tifa sick. She didn't want to sound conceited to say that he didn't really need it with her around. He had the real thing, so why did he need it?

Tifa felt angrier as she looked at the topless woman on the cover, she was posing a provocative manor. She felt angrier at Cloud. How could he feel pleasure from such a sickening source? She also wanted to beat some sense in his thick skull, literally.

"Hey, Tifa, why are you-," she heard from the door. She looked up and saw that he was taking in the room, his eyes flashed with understanding. "Who let the damn dog in here?!"

"It doesn't matter." Tifa said harshly, looking down.

"Tifa? What's wrong?" He asked.

Tifa could feel her anger boiling up. She stood up abruptly and threw the magazine hard into his chest. "Care to explain what the hell that is?"

The magazine fell into his hand and he flipped it over and stared at it blankly for a second before realization hit.

"You disgust me." Tifa said as she walked past him to leave. But before she could leave the room Cloud grabbed her hand, forcing her to stop.

"Wait, Tifa. It's not mine!" Cloud said desperately

"Then why was it under our bed?" she dared him to come up with an answer that wouldn't end up with her giving him a broken nose.

"It's Cid's" Cloud answered.

Tifa's eyebrows rose. "Cid reads porn under our bed?"

"No, not like that." He released her and scratched the back of his head, which Tifa learned was a nervous habit of his. "He gave it to me the Christmas we got together. But I was afraid if I threw it out you or the kids would see it. And I didn't just want to give it back to him."

Tifa folded her arms across her chest. "Why didn't you tell me when you moved in my room?"

Cloud looked down. "I was afraid if I did you would still think it was mine, I didn't want you to think I was some sort of sick pervert." He looked so cute that Tifa's expression had to unfreeze, and she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"You should have told me sooner." Clouds arms wrapped around her waist.

"I didn't want you to be mad at me." He muffled against her neck. From where Cloud was standing he threw the magazine in the trash. The he started to kiss her neck, suddenly in the mood.

Then they heard another crash. This time it came from the bar. Tifa separated from him quickly and bolted out of the room. Cloud sighed. He couldn't wait until his honeymoon when he and Tifa would finally be alone.

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I feel like this one is sort of rushed and choppy. *shrugs* Oh well.

Lovely reviews makes a writer happy :D


	6. Santa Doesn't Like Liars

_(A/N) Well, after this chapter there is only one left for ZtP. I'm going to miss writing about the happy puppy. _

_A big thanks to _**lady-yuna7, LadyTeefStrife, PeAceLovEr 12, ZakuReno, **_and_** vLuna **_for reviewing. This is you last chance to have your name featured in this story so don't forget to review!_

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**_Zack the Puppy_ - 6) Santa Doesn't Like Liars.**

"Denzel, Marlene, do you know where Zack is?" Tifa asked the children that were grinning mischievously. They let out little giggles and covered their faces in hopes to keep their covers up. Tifa placed her hands on her hips and hoped that her face looked stern enough so they would start talking. Denzel and Marlene had to bite their bottom lips to stop the corners from turning up. Tifa sighed in impatience and looked at Cloud who didn't seem worried at all about the crazy puppy.

Cloud was sitting on the couch that was facing their new tree that they gotten that afternoon. He looked completely wiped out and Tifa could guess was because he had to carry it all the way home without any assistance of a motor vehicle or the three other people and their puppy. She said that it was payback after the rotten fish incident. She also decided to torture him by going to a place were they sold trees on the opposite side of the city.

"Aren't you worried about Zack?" Tifa asked Cloud and he leaned his head back so that his face was upside down.

"No," he said shortly and returned his head back to a normal position. The kids giggled again and Tifa tapped her foot impatiently.

"Do you kids know that Santa doesn't like liars?" Tifa said with an evil smile curling at the edge of her lips. Marlene and Denzel abruptly stopped their giggling. Cloud's body snapped around so he could see Tifa and look at her in surprise. "It's not too late for him to give you a lump of coal for Christmas…"

The kids ran to the tree and stuck their hands in its needles. Tifa could hear some yipping and the turned around with Zack in their hands. He had needles all over his fur and his tail was wagging excitedly. He was panting and it looked like he was smiling.

"Does Santa still hate us?" Marlene asked fearfully. Tifa smiled reassuringly.

"Of course he doesn't hate you, and don't worry, there will be no lump of coal under the tree," Tifa said and Cloud snorted while drinking a bottle of water. "Well maybe for Cloud." That was when he sprayed water all over the place. The kids laughed and Cloud wiped off his face with the back of his hand. Zack wiggled out of the kids arms and jumped on Cloud. He started to lick the water of his face.

Cloud picked up Zack by his tail and hung him upside down.

"Stupid dog," Cloud muttered and dropped the puppy. He recovered and scrambled towards the tree. He jumped in through the needles and the tree shock a little from the impact. There were various scratching noises as Zack made his way through the tree.

They were all silent when they stopped hearing the scratching noises. But they all looked up when they heard Zack yip. He was at the very top of the tree and he was still panting happily. Tifa and Marlene thought that it was one of the most adorable things in the world, beside Cloud of course, and they ran to get a camera. Denzel was trying to be manly like Cloud and thinking that the stupid dog would hurt himself, but he thought that it was a little cute.

Before the girls were able to get the camera, Zack jumped down from the tree, jumped on Cloud lap, and bit his pants. Cloud jumped up, completely shocked, and tried to pull Zack off of him. He wouldn't budge.

By the time the girls came in, they heard a very loud rip. Zack had a piece of black fabric in his mouth and was smiling behind it. They looked at Cloud and saw that Zack had indeed ripped his pants. Tifa started to laugh hysterically and took pictures of Cloud with his boxers showing and Zack with the fabric in his mouth. Cloud's face quickly turned red and he glared down at the mischievous puppy before trying to chase him. The puppy was eventually able to get away by hiding beneath the couch and Cloud hung his head in defeat before going to his and Tifa's room to change his pants.

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_The Christmas tree they got would have to be pretty big for Zack to be able to hide in it._

_Remember this is the last chance for you guys to review and have your name featured, so it would mean a lot to me if you would just leave your input, thoughts, whatever you want. You have until Thursday! REVIEW!_


	7. Lost and Found

_(A/N) Well, here the last installment to __**Zack the Puppy **__it's been fun. And if you like this read my other story __**This Changes Everything **__, its not really a comedy like this but I would love for all you to go onto another story of mine and give me your pleasant input like you did for this story. And maybe if I have other funny story line ideas then I'll make another story about the silly puppy. So keep checking in to see if I made you a treat :D but this chapter isn't as funny as the rest of them but what do you expect from the last chapter? _

_I want to thank _**ZakuReno****, LadyTeefStrife, ****Writer Chica****, ****celticskyedancer****, ****lady-yuna7****, ****Amanda Black Potter****, ****thesakuraclow****, **_and_**vLuna**_for reviewing! I always love getting your input on the story :) I'm so happy that there were no flames for this.

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_**Zack the Puppy**_** – 7) Lost and Found. **

Cloud and Tifa thought that they would be spending their Christmas Eve in the bar with the members of AVALANCHE, along with a few others. Like their uninvited guests, the Turks. And their _really_ unexpected guest, the president himself, Rufus Shinra. He had said that he wanted to spend a nice and quiet Christmas Eve with his _friends. _Yeah right.

But instead, they spent it running through the streets in the rain, flashlights in hands.

Zack had run away.

It was cold, but not cold enough for the rain to freeze. They had to split up into twos, or in Barret's case, three, to find him. Even Rufus and the Turks helped them, in a helicopter. But they wouldn't be able to find him; Zack was too small to be noticed from the air.

Earlier, their party was abruptly ruined when the puppy ran away. Yuffie wanted to play with the odd dog and Cloud went to go look for him. He looked everywhere and he wasn't anywhere to be found. And that was not usual to begin with since he liked to destroy everything that was in his sight. But then Cloud noticed that the back door's screen was torn open on the bottom and regular door was blown open from the wind.

So they split up into groups, Yuffie and Vincent, Cid and Shera, the Turks and Rufus, Red and Reeve, and Barret with the kids. Originally they wanted the kids to stay home, but the kids refused until there were tears in their eyes. So Barret took the kids. They also weren't going to have Rufus look for the dog, but he kept offering, and ignored them when the told him not to.

That's how Cloud and Tifa ended up dashing through all of the places they took Zack. Like the park, the vet, and a few side streets. But they couldn't find anything. They were so frantic that they ignored it when their hoods feel off and they were starting to become soaked. The rain was pounding on their faces and it was impossible to look up to see where they were going. Cloud regretted not taking his riding goggles, but they were too frantic to remember anything.

Cloud suddenly stopped when he heard a big _'plop'_ noise behind him and saw that Tifa had fallen and wasn't getting up.

"Tifa!" Cloud called and ran to her as fast as he could. He kneeled down just as she was starting to lift herself up on shaking arms, her head bowed down so her hair was covering her face.

"I'm OK," she said shakily. Cloud grabbed her arms and helped her sit up. She lifted her head up and saw the she was crying. It was mixed with rain and if anybody else saw her, they wouldn't be able to tell the difference. But Cloud knew.

"Tifa," He murmured and cupped her cheek with a wet hand. He didn't even bother to put on his gloves. He tried to wipe away her flowing tear away with this thumb, but that proved to be difficult in the rain.

"What if he's hurt?" Tifa sobbed out as she buried her face in his chest. He wrapped his arms around her tightly and places his cheek on hers. Their flashlights were completely forgotten on the ground. "What if he's de-"

"He's not," Cloud said firmly. "If he _is_ the same Zack, I know that he won't go down without a fight."

Tifa nods in his shirt and wrapped her arms tighter around him. He helped her stand up and he picked up both of their flashlights. But they froze when they could hear faint noises of a dog crying. They stopped their movements so they could hear when it would cry again. When it did, they ran to where they heard the noise come from. They shined their lights in a soggy box that was tilted over to its side. They nearly started to cry again in relief when they saw the black puppy in it. He was shaking and his fur was all wet. The saw his tongue lap out and they didn't realize until that second that there was another puppy in there with him.

It had brown fur with a pink ribbon. Zack was trying to dry off the other puppy's fur before it got sick. His body was also covering it to keep them warm. When Zack saw them, he started to yip happily and that's when the other puppy looked up. Cloud and Tifa's eyes became wide when their eyes connected with the puppy. It had emerald green eyes and long light brown hair. Cloud kneeled down and searched the pink ribbon for any source of identification. There was a note attached to the ribbon. Cloud opened it and tried to read the already soggy hand writing.

'This is Aerith. Please take care of her'

Cloud's eyes became extremely large and Tifa looked over his shoulder to read the note. Her eyes became large too and they looked back down at the two puppies.

Quite frankly, it looked like they were cuddling. Zack's head was brushing up against Aerith's and his body was still on top of hers.

"Get a room, you stupid dog," Cloud said, his throat closing up from the emotion and Zack yipped at him.

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The party was back in full swing a half an hour later. Yuffie was chasing Zack around and he was crashing into everything in his path. Everybody else was around Aerith, saying how weird it was to have the dogs that completely resemble the fallen SOLDIER and Cetra.

But Aerith was trying to cuddle up with Cloud, and when Zack noticed this, he was not happy. He went charging towards Cloud at full speed and bit his wrist that was around her. Cloud jumped out of his seat and Zack took position next to Aerith. But she didn't seem too disappointed; she just cuddled up with Zack instead. Zack gave him an annoyed look before cleaning Aerith's fur.

Cloud turned around to see Tifa with an amused look on her face.

"It looks like I have some competition again, "Tifa said and Cloud rubbed the back of his head.

That's when a very drunk Reno came bursting in on their conversation.

"Don't worry baby. " He slurred and draped an arm around her shoulders. "I'll settle the competition by takin;' you myself."

"No thank you," Tifa said and took his arm off her shoulders. She looked towards Cloud and saw that his had was itching towards his sword that was leaning against the wall.

"Alrighty then, tell me if you're ever free," he said with one last slur and stumbled off. That was not normal, usually he was more persistent. Maybe the alcohol makes him smarter than when he is sober. Interesting…

When there heard a crash, they instantly turned to see Aerith on the couch, Zack was not. They heard another crash from behind the bar and they dashed towards it. They saw two bottles of whiskey that were broken on the ground, and Zack licking it up as fast as he could. Tifa could only look in surprise and with her mouth agape and her eyes completely large. Cloud could only cover his mouth with his hand to stop his chuckling.

"That's definitely Zack; his favorite alcohol beverage is whiskey." Cloud muffled out from behind his hand and Zack looked up at them, and yipped at them happily.

_**The End

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_Ah, I think I may cry. The ending of a story is always sad. So what do you think of the ending? Is it too cheesy? _

_Once again, I want to thank you all for reading and reviewing. It makes me happy to know that people like my ideas. _

_Well, until next time._

_**-**__**ohsnapples**_


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